<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Picture It... by IncorrectEcho</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24983956">Picture It...</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncorrectEcho/pseuds/IncorrectEcho'>IncorrectEcho</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:14:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,904</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24983956</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncorrectEcho/pseuds/IncorrectEcho</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Many people have wished for the return of the Goddess. Only one group of misfits has managed to summon her. In the flesh.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Picture It...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Imperial Year 1205. Garreg Mach is desolated. What once was the center of the continent now shows the descent of the Church’s power. The Holy Tomb slumbers as the goddess’ power slithered out of the world to fight the darkness by the side of the Ashen Demon. The first crest stone broken, its power paving the way towards a society born from blood. A new beginning.<br/>
And while Garreg Mach is desolated, it is not empty. Whispers speak of a tribe of dark forces conspiring to create magic weapons beyond those what Fódlan has known, others mention the hallowed screams of the undead, laughter spreading with every life they take in revenge. Other stories speak of a return of the goddess, roaming the halls singing her song.<br/>
These stories are underestimating the horrors taking place in the home of the goddess’s seemingly eternal slumber. </p><p>“I am absolutely devastated. I’m stunned, I’m disgusted.” a voice screeched through the empty halls of Garreg Mach.<br/>
“Oh, Manuela please calm down.” Hanneman said to his co-apartment owner. With Edelgard in charge of the Empire, she gave a special treat to the professors that helped her so much in the war. With Manuela asking for a big mansion and Hanneman wanting nothing more than to continue his crest research, the Emperor gave over the keys of whatever was left of Garreg Mach to them.<br/>
“Easy for you to say, you’re used to it!” Manuela threw herself onto the couch.<br/>
“Used to what?” Hanneman took the bait. “Being old? I must admit I have some years under my belt.” he said. “But don’t worry, you’re not doing bad yourself.” he continued.<br/>
“What do you mean?” Manuela chuckled nervously. “I’m only fifty.” she said. “I’m not old. The only thing that’s bothering me is that it’s been three days since I’ve had a date. And a second date with the same man? Must’ve been some time ago.”<br/>
“Don’t worry, just a few more and you’ve slept with all men in Fódlan. Then you can start all over again.” Hanneman smiled contently.<br/>
“Then we agree.” Manuela said in a huff. “You’re not a man.”</p><p>“You fighting again? I thought I left the Knights of Seiros for a bit of relaxing.” Alois entered the room with a fish in his hand. “What have you caught?” Manuela asked, looking disgusted at the fish dripping on her new carpet.<br/>
Alois laughed heartedly. “A cold probably. But you’re probably talking about the fish I got here.”<br/>
Hanneman buried his hands in his face. “No Alois, She was talking about the man we hid in the dorm closet.”<br/>
Alois laughed again. “Well, looks like someone’s got a different sense of hook-up.” he said with a wink as subtle as his joke as he walked into the kitchen to put the fish in the cooler.</p><p>“Why would you put a fish in the cooler?” Manuela asked him, wondering what kind of relevance a fish could have to this day.<br/>
“To feed the cat we hid there, Manuela.” Hanneman replied.<br/>
“Actually I’m putting it in the cooler so it doesn’t rot.” Alois said with his familiar flair of naïveté. “It gets stinky when it rots.”<br/>
“Same with Manuela.” Hanneman pointed slyly at his ex-coworker.</p><p>The night of the Sterrefest was soon approaching. Every year since Rhea was defeated, a comet would fly over Fódlan, said to be the goddess rushing past the earth that has wronged her. She would hear the wishes in the hearts of Fódlan, and do her best to fullfill those desires. </p><p>“I already know my wish for tonight.” Manuela groaned, trying to ignore Hanneman’s comment.<br/>
“The same thing you wish for every friday night? You know genies live in lamps, not wine bottles right?” Hanneman retorted. </p><p>“Well you live in a four bedroom apartment and you have been stuck here for 3000 years as well. The only difference between you and a genie is that you have yet to.....satisfy someone’s wishes.” Manuela said.<br/>
“Maybe the goddess will be the woman that finally stands to listen to you.” she continued.</p><p>“Someone in my hometown Rysalka said he saw a genie.” Alois said to the bickering teachers.<br/>
“Oh, what happened to him?” Manuela inquired in order not to talk to Hanneman.<br/>
“Please don’t encourage him to talk.” Hanneman sighed, wanting to walk away but being too curious as to the events in the place Alois grew up in.<br/>
“Well, that’s all. If the town were to verify every drunken man’s story I’d still be there. Some people say he was right though...” Alois ramped up the crashed tension.</p><p>“People got really suspicious when he could speak five languages the next day” he continued.<br/>
“Well, that does seem to point towards the genie story being true. What languages where they? Linguistically...” Hanneman theorized.<br/>
“We had no idea. Rysalkans aren’t known for their keen mind.” Alois shrugged.<br/>
“Well, aside from the chickens. They could actually do arithmetics.” he continued</p><p>Alois told a story, though neither Manuela or Hanneman processed more than every third word. They each learned to smile, wave and nod at Alois’ ghost stories, whose main horror was the atrocious build-up and absolute lack of climax. ‘Basically a night spent with Manuela’, Hanneman would sum up his complaints with Alois’ sense of story structure. </p><p>“Oh would you look at that?” Alois said in surprise as he looked at the sun. “It’s almost time for the Sterrefest ceremony. Should I get the fish?” Alois said as he walked towards the cooler.</p><p>The light have dimmed, only the starlight shining through the window of what was once the office of the archbishop. </p><p>The three joined in prayer as the comet flew over the earth. There probably wouldn’t be a moment of melancholy quite like this in this household. The light of the stars flooded the room, dancing on the eye-lids of the senior citizens joined in prayer.</p><p>Garreg Mach glowed in the starlight, bathing in the green mint that changed the war so many years ago as Sothis descended on earth. That day was earth-shattering to those who witnessed it directly, and changed the course of destiny for all to see later when that power of the goddess helped the Flame Emperor sweep the land of the darkness of the nobility’s backrooms.</p><p>It was rumoured the goddess ascended back to the heavens as soon as the Emperor’s wish was granted and the goddess’ wicked child was beaten. The vessel for the goddess fell down to the ground and continued to support Edelgard, but the goddess’ power made place for love, for the goddess had been slain, her spirit to never be seen again and her body resting in the catacombs of Garreg Mach.</p><p>The eyes opened once again. Manuela stood up and went to the freezer to pick up the fish Alois left there. “Do we put this on a toast? I got the perfect wine to go with that.”<br/>
Hanneman went to get the toast. “You have special wine for toast?” he asked.<br/>
“It’s a science, Hanneman.” Manuela said as she uncorked the best bottle of Gronder she could find.<br/>
“Sorry, I don’t have a PhD in alcoholism, Manuela.” he said.<br/>
“Oh wine goes great with toast. We can toast to that!” Alois chuckled.</p><p>Manuela glared to the gentlemen.<br/>
“You, von Essar. You are going to stop belittling me, my emotions and my intellect.” she said with a pack of toasts in her hand.<br/>
“And you, Rangeld. You are going to take the world seriously for once.” she continued. “Now, let’s eat his stupid tradition fish dish, drown ourselves in my wine and get along for once.”<br/>
The men nodded. “To the Sterrefest, may our wishes come true.” she said as she took her first swig, together with her roommates.<br/>
“So, what did you wish for?” Alois started the conversation.</p><p>“Yeah, I’d love to know.” a woman said as she entered the kitchen.<br/>
“Because this is kind of weird” she said, looking in the metallic fridge.<br/>
Her reflection didn’t lie. </p><p>“Sothis.” Alois said with great reverence.<br/>
“The one and only.” she said. “Now we gotta figure out how I ended up in this situation.”<br/>
Hanneman theorized. “Well..it could be that...you know...Garreg Mach is...”</p><p>Sothis mumbled. “The Holy Tomb.” she said. “That must explain it....” she said to herself.<br/>
The three leaned closer to hear the musings of the goddess.</p><p>“Right, physical form.” Sothis said. “Anyway.” she started louder as she scraped her vocal cords. “Garreg Mach is built on the Holy Tomb, with my body being buried there. Well, used to be.” she said, slapping her tighs. “Turns out that those starry wishes actually work. That is, they do in Garreg Mach, in the vicinity of my protective aura.”</p><p>“But what about the priests and the archbishops? Truly they must have made wished in this building before.” Manuela asked with a buttery cracker in her mouth.<br/>
“Actually, they never did. They all went home. Turns out you were the only losers that weren’t with your family at the night of the Sterrefest. Kind of sad....”  Sothis answered, taking a seat and a cracker for herself.</p><p>Hanneman slammed his hand on the table. “Okay. Which one of you wished for the goddess’ return?” he sighed.<br/>
“I just wanted someone who I can share my stories with.” Alois said.<br/>
“I wanted someone who understands women.” Manuela sighed.<br/>
“Well, it cannot be me either. I only wished for someone who I could discuss my research with.” Hanneman said.</p><p>“You’re right.” Sothis said. “And not to brag but I know my fair share about stories, women and crests.” she smiled. “Plus. You guys seem fun.” she said as she raised her glass and winked.</p><p>“So. Picture it. Gronder, 232. A young, beautiful girl walked over the earth. Then, a young, handsome noble came along, obviously wooed by the woman. The young noble asked her where she came from, and the woman couldn’t answer. She didn’t have a house, didn’t belong to a noble family. The noble vowed to create her a family. A name for herself. They did it right then and there in that field. The grain of that land became known as bountiful forever after that fateful day, but no heir came. The noble vowed to create an empire in the name of that woman, to give her the family she deserved. That man was Wilhelm Adrestia. And that little girl was me.” Sothis said with grace.</p><p>“That is a wonderful story.” Manuela said, pinking away a tear.<br/>
“It sure sheds light on the storied past of Fódlan.” Hanneman wrote it all down.<br/>
“What a noble deed.’’ Alois said. </p><p>“And absolutely, one-hundred percent real.” Sothis said. “Moral of the story...live passionately. Life is nothing without a laugh, a tear and an inspiration. You guys may be old. I may be older. I may also look better than all of you, but that’s irrelevant. But I’m here to give you the best gift of all. The gift of a mother.” Sothis preached.</p><p>“Also you can thank me for that toast we’re eating. Gronder grain, right?” she cackled. “You guys have a card game to play? It’s Horsebow Moon, let’s sit outside and make this night unforgettable. I know how to make cheesecake.”</p><p>From that day on, whispers of Garreg Mach became ever louder, as the four laughed, lived and loved until the end of their days.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! Be sure to follow me on Twitter on @Daisy4Smash</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>